13 MIHS Students Named 2026 National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists

First Row (left to right): Emma Shi, Xintong Zhao, Amelia Bernson, Julia Shang, Sydney Parcel. Second Row (l-r): Elsa Zepeda Juarez, Madison Sieckhaus, Derek Hsi, Gavrilo Odievich. Third Row (l-r): Steffi Kim, Adithya Raj, Aiden Chen, Jett Jones.

Mercer Island, WA, September 15, 2025 – Mercer Island High School is pleased to announce 13 seniors have been named 2026 National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC).

The MIHS students are:
Amelia Bernson
Aiden Chen
Derek Hsi
Jett Jones
Steffi Kim
Gavrilo Odievich
Sydney Parcel
Adithya Raj
Julia Shang
Emma Shi
Madison Sieckhaus
Elsa Zepeda Juarez
Xintong Zhao

The 13 MIHS students were part of the more than 16,000 semifinalists in the 71^st annual National Merit Scholarship program announced today.  

In 2025 nine MIHS seniors were named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists and in 2024 12 MIHS seniors achieved this honor.

All 13 of these academically talented MIHS seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 6,930 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million that will be offered next spring. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship® award, Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. About 95 percent of the Semifinalists are expected to attain Finalist standing, and approximately half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar® title.

Steps in the 2025 Competition
Over 1.3 million juniors in about 20,000 high schools entered the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2024 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state. The number of Semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.

To become a Finalist, the Semifinalist and a high school official must submit a detailed scholarship application, in which they provide information about the Semifinalist’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received. A Semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT® or ACT® scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test.

From over 16,000 Semifinalists, more than 15,000 are expected to advance to the Finalist level, and in February they will be notified of this designation. All National Merit Scholarship winners will be selected from this group of Finalists. Merit Scholar designees are selected on the basis of their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies, without regard to gender, race, ethnic origin, or religious preference.

About NMSC
NMSC, a not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance, was established in 1955 specifically to conduct the annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Scholarships are underwritten by NMSC with its own funds and by approximately 300 business organizations and higher education institutions that share NMSC’s goals of honoring the nation’s scholastic champions and encouraging the pursuit of academic excellence.